"Daddy, I want to be a fighter pilot." A familiar refrain, usually heard coming from the chocolate-smeared gobs of the under-fives, when they're not whining about how little pocket money they get. But secretly, thanks to Tom 'Maverick' Cruise and his perfect teeth, sunglasses and volleyball serve in Top Gun everyone wants to fly a jet. There's good jet-flying stuff in Deadly Skies, chief among it being the overall look. It may not be spectacular, but it's full of incidental moments like the low-lying sun lighting up the jet with orange, and the dispersion of smoke when you're banking through a missile trail.

The jets themselves look nice and solid, and the explosions they cause when exploding are spectacular enough - although they often have "Bingo!" or "Shot Down" stamped across them.

The only problem with the graphics is the land surface, much of which is made up of flat, drab textures. It doesn't interfere with the gameplay, of course, but it should have been much better, because many missions have ground-based targets to destroy.

When you're higher up, though, the view is much better - emerging from cloud into crystal clear blue sky is a memorable experience, as is the battle that takes place above a brilliant blue sea, with the sunshine glinting across it.

Also shining bright is the sound. The music is of the dreadful Japanese rawk variety - so turn that off before you put on your flying goggles - but the sound effects pump out in real-time surround sound. Missiles scream past your ears, jet planes roar behind you - it's brilliant, and really puts you in the thick of the action.

Unfortunately, the game these sensual delights are bolted onto is a bit of a let-down. The main problem is the pace of the action, which is far too pedestrian for the subject matter. From the speed the ground passes by, you'd think you were on a Sunday afternoon jaunt rather than a dangerous mission. It always feels like the planes are plodding along at 30mph.

This lack of speed is compounded by the control of the jets, which aren't the most manoeuvrable beasts. The turning circle is very wide, so instead of dogfights being hectic and exciting, they're turgid and drawn-out.

The ability to upgrade your jet improves things slightly, but flying simply isn't as enjoyable as it might be. Switching to one of the more complex control methods fails to add depth.

Also annoying is the game's structure. Missions are selected from an overhead map, which is a neat idea, but the more eventful missions - the sea battle, for instance, or the battle that takes place in the gorge - are few and far between.

Much of the game is taken up with tedious dogfights that you take part in en route to the interesting missions. It would have been much better to cut back on the dogfights and make every mission worthwhile.

Ultimately, it's the lack of speed and over-simple combat that bring Deadly Skies down to earth. The missions do become more interesting as the game progresses, and feature better planes and more enemies, but you always have to put up with the tedious, repetitive dogfights before you get to do anything interesting.

It's an awkward half-stab at being both an action title and a more serious simulation, and the resulting game won't satisfy fans of either game type. Sadly, Deadly Skies isn't the game you're hoping for if fast-paced flying and shooting is your bag.

1. Nice views
2. Spiffing jets
3. Some good missions

1. It's too sluggish
2. Little variety
3. Jets aren't manoeuvrable enough

Power
This doesn't really stretch Xbox at all. Some fine views to be seen, mind, and a few smart effects.

Style
Jets look nice, and the surround sound makes dogfights seem more exciting than they really are.

Immersion
It's too slow and dull to keep you in the cockpit for anything like an extended flying session.

Lifespan
Quite a few missions to try your hand at, but losing planes shot once may make you lose patience.

Summary
Simply not fast or exciting enough to fulfil that fighter pilot dream. Doesn't, ahem, take my breath awaaaayyy.